The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved last week four types of Palcohol, a powder intended to be mixed into liquid to make an alcoholic beverage.
Each packet of the product contains the equivalent of one shot of alcohol. The company’s powdered versions of a cosmopolitan, a margarita, rum and vodka were all approved.
The product was created by Mark Phillips, who said he wanted to be able to carry a powdered version of alcohol to suit his active life without needing heavy containers, according to Palcohol’s website.
But, if not used properly, the product comes with several health and safety concerns.
One major concern about the powder is its ability to be snorted. Snorting any substance is usually done to transfer it into the bloodstream faster to speed up effects, Alicia Baker, a health promotion specialist for GatorWell, said in an email.
“I’d like to stress that alcohol and physical activity do not mix,” Baker said, “especially outdoors in hot weather.”
It is unknown what the exact effects of snorting Palcohol are, but nose damage from cocaine can be looked at for comparison. Side effects include nasal perforation, sinus damage and frequent bloody noses, she said.
Brice Childers, president of UF’s Outdoor Adventure Recreation club and a computer science and physics senior, said in an email that if the weight of bottles of alcohol affects athletic performance, it would be better to save the drinking for the bar.
The concept is interesting, the 23-year-old said, but the product’s success will be nothing more than a novelty.
Another concern is the powder’s easy concealment. However, people can fit four 1.7-ounce alcohol bottles in the same amount of space that one Palcohol packet takes up, effectively carrying more liquid.
A recent bill filed in the Florida Legislature by Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, aims to ban the substance.
Jonathan Arnholz, 21, and vice president of Men’s Basketball Rowdies at UF, wrote in an email that he wouldn’t use it because he’s personally never been a fan of drinking during games. But he said he doesn’t believe that justifies a ban.
“It seems silly to punish an entrepreneur because there’s a potential for some people to use this product for unintended purposes,” said Arnholz, a public relations junior.
University Police Sgt. Eddie King said companies that design products like this present a sense of false marketing.
The claim for the product is that it will be useful for people who don’t want the extra bulk of alcohol containers. But King said the real value caters to people who want to have easy concealment.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 - 4 on 3/17/2015 under the headline “Powdered alcohol legalized but may be banned in Fla”]
